Process for keycaps capable of guiding light laterally

ABSTRACT

A process for keycaps includes the steps of: providing a light-transmitting material; making the light-transmitting material into a keycap body, the keycap body having a light-entering surface, one side of the light-entering surface extending to form a light-exiting surface intersecting with the light-entering surface, a connecting surface being formed between the light-entering surface and the light-exiting surface; and coating a light-shielding layer on the connecting surface to form a light-reflecting surface in the light-shielding layer. Via the above process, a keycap that guides light laterally can be obtained.

RELATED APPLICATION

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/947,821 filed on Nov. 30, 2007 issubmitted as related application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing keys, and inparticular to a process for keycaps capable of guiding light laterally.

2. Description of Prior Art

A keyboard is one of the primary input means for an electronic device.The surface of each key of the keyboard is provided with correspondingnumerals, characters, phonetic symbols, roots for an input method and/orvarious functional icons, so that a user can input correct data orperform various functions of the electronic device. Therefore, for anelectronic device, the keyboard acts as an important human/machineinterface.

Since the light may be sometimes insufficient for a working environmentof an electronic device, the key panel of the keyboard is usuallyprovided with a light source to generate a little or sufficient lightfor recognition, so that the user can still operate the key panel eventhough the light is dim. Although the displaying area can be illuminateddirectly via an underneath light source so as to generate a betterillumination effect, the direct illumination may be harsh to the user'seyes. Especially in a dark environment, a light emitted suddenly may beso harsh to the user's eyes if he/she looks at the light, which willaffect the vision of the user temporarily. According to the above, inorder to overcome the drawbacks of prior art, the inventor proposes thepresent invention based on his researches and expert experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is to provide a process for keycaps capable ofguiding light laterally, by which a keycap can be manufactured toprovide a lateral light for a key without making the light to irradiatethe user's eyes directly. In this way, the hurt to the user's eyes canbe reduced or eliminated.

The present invention provides a process for keycaps capable of guidinglight laterally, which includes the steps of:

a) providing a light-transmitting material;

b) making the light-transmitting material into a keycap body, the keycapbody having a light-entering surface, one side of the light-enteringsurface extending to form a light-exiting surface intersecting with thelight-entering surface, and a connecting surface being formed betweenthe light-entering surface and the light-exiting surface; and

c) coating a light-shielding layer on the connecting surface to form alight-reflecting surface in the light-shielding layer.

Via the above process, a keycap that guides light laterally can beobtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a key panel to which thekeycaps of the present invention are applied;

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is flow chart showing the process of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the state after the keycap body of thepresent invention is formed;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the state after the keycap body of thepresent invention is covered by a light-shielding layer;

FIG. 7 is a partially cross-sectional view showing the state after thekey panel of FIG. 3 is assembled with a telecommunication module;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the action of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the key panel having the keycaps ofthe present invention being used in a mobile phone;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the key panel having the keycaps ofthe present invention being used in a personal digital assistant; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the key panel having the keycaps ofthe present invention being used in an automobile control interface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to make the Examiner to better understand the characteristicsand technical contents of the present invention, a detailed descriptionrelating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only, but not used tolimit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention provides a process for keycaps capable of guidinglight laterally. Keycaps 111 manufactured according to this process canbe applied to a key panel 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the key panel 1includes an opaque layer 10 and a keycap assembly 11.

The opaque layer 10 is a thin sheet made of an opaque material such as acircuit board, electronic ink, wood, cork, leather, metal or the like.Via a printing, etching or an electronic ink developing process, anupper surface of the opaque layer 10 is provided with recognitionregions 100 constituted of numerals, characters, phonetic symbols, rootsfor an input method and/or various functional icons. A correspondingkeycap hole 101 is provided adjacent to one side of each recognitionregion 100 on the opaque layer 10. In the illustrated embodiment of thepresent invention, when the opaque layer 10 is in an upright position,each of the keycap holes 101 is located below the correspondingrecognition region 100. Of course, the possible arrangement is notlimited thereto.

The keycap assembly 11 is located on a lower surface of the opaque layer10. The keycap assembly 11 has a carrier 110 that is overlapped inparallel with the surface of the opaque layer 10, and a plurality ofkeycaps 111 protruding from the carrier 110. Each of the keycaps 111 isarranged to correspond to an associated recognition region 100, andpenetrates through the corresponding keycap hole 101 to protrude fromthe surface of the opaque layer 10, so that a user can press the keycap.

As shown in FIG. 3, each keycap 111 is made of a light-transmittingmaterial, such as acryl, plastic or PC, and can be colored as desired.Each keycap 111 has a light-entering surface 112 that is located in thebottom thereof and adhered on the carrier 110. The top of each keycap111 has a light-shielding layer 113. The light-shielding layer 113 canbe attached to the surface of the keycap 111 via an electroplatingprocess. Further, the light-shielding layer 113 covers each lateralouter surface from the top of the keycap 111. A connecting surface 114is formed between the top of the keycap 111 and a lateral surface. Alight-exiting surface 115 is formed on one side of the keycap 111opposite to the connecting surface 114. The light-exiting surface 115 isnot covered by the light-shielding layer 113, and thus it cannot shieldthe light. After the keycap 111 penetrates through the correspondingkeycap hole 101, the light-exiting surface 115 of the keycap 111corresponds to an associated recognition region 100, thereby projectingthe light onto the recognition region 100. The process for manufacturingthe keycap 111 is described as follows.

Please refer to FIG. 4. In the step S 1, a light-transmitting materialis provided first, which is used as the necessary material for thekeycap 111.

Then, please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5. According to the step S2 in FIG. 4,the light-transmitting material is formed to have the profile of thekeycap 111 (i.e. keycap body) that has the light-entering surface 112.One side of the light-entering surface 112 extends to form thelight-exiting surface 115 intersecting with the light-entering surface112. The connecting surface 114 is formed between the light-exitingsurface 115 and the light-entering surface 112.

Finally, please refer to FIGS. 4 and 6. According to the step S3 in FIG.4, except for the light-entering surface 112 and the light-exitingsurface 115, the connecting surface 114 of the keycap body is coated bythe light-shielding layer 113, thereby forming a light-reflectingsurface in the light-shielding layer 113. In this way, the keycap 111can be obtained.

Therefore, the above steps are those of the process for a keycap guidinglight laterally in accordance with the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 7, when the keycap 111 is applied to the key panel1, the underside of the key panel 1 can be further assembled with atelecommunication module 4. The telecommunication module 4 has aflexible printed circuit board 40. The circuit board 40 is providedthereon with a plurality of contacting points 400. Each of thecontacting points 400 corresponds to each keycap 111 of the key modulein a vertical direction. Each of the contacting points 400 is providedthereon with a corresponding metal sheet 41. The circuit board 40 isprovided thereon with an elastic film 42 for covering each metal sheet41. A plurality of protrusions 43 is provided between the elastic film42 and the key module. Each protrusion 43 is located to correspond tothe underside of each keycap 111 of the key module.

Please refer to FIG. 8. When the user applies a downward force to pressany keycap 111, the corresponding protrusion 43 is pressed to biasdownwardly the elastic film 42 and the metal sheet 41 so as to touch thecorresponding contacting point 400, thereby achieving an input action.At this time, via the pressing action of the user, the light emittedfrom a built-in light source is introduced from the light-enteringsurface 112 of the keycap 111. After being reflected by thelight-reflecting surface of the light-shielding layer 113, the light isprojected toward the light-exiting surface 115 and onto the recognitionregion 100, thereby illuminating the recognition region 100. In thisway, the user can recognize the completion of the pressing action, andthe light will not irradiate the user's eyes directly to affect his/hervision.

Further, please refer to FIGS. 9 to 11. The keycaps 111 manufacturedaccording to the process of the present invention can be applied to thekey panel 1. Thereafter, the key panel having the keycaps of the presentinvention can be applied at least to a mobile phone, a personal digitalassistant (PDA) and an automobile control interface. Of course, theapplication is not limited to the above cases, and the present inventioncan be applied to other human/machine operating interfaces.

According to the above, the present invention really achieves thedesired objects and solves the drawbacks of prior art. Further, thepresent invention has novelty and inventive steps, and thus conforms tothe requirements for an invention patent.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to theforegoing preferred embodiments, it will be understood that theinvention is not limited to the details thereof. Various equivalentvariations and modifications can still occur to those skilled in thisart in view of the teachings of the present invention. Thus, all suchvariations and equivalent modifications are also embraced within thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A process for keycaps capable of guiding light laterally, comprisingthe steps of: a) providing a light-transmitting material; b) making thelight-transmitting material into a keycap body, the keycap body having alight-entering surface, one side of the light-entering surface extendingto form a light-exiting surface intersecting with the light-enteringsurface, a connecting surface being formed between the light-enteringsurface and the light-exiting surface; and c) coating a light-shieldinglayer on the connecting surface to form a light-reflecting surface inthe light-shielding layer.
 2. The process for keycaps guiding lightlaterally according to claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting materialprovided in the step a) is acryl.
 3. The process for keycaps guidinglight laterally according to claim 1, wherein the light-transmittingmaterial provided in the step a) is plastic.
 4. The process for keycapsguiding light laterally according to claim 1, wherein thelight-transmitting material provided in the step a) is PC.
 5. Theprocess for keycaps guiding light laterally according to claim 2,wherein the light-transmitting material provided in the step a) iscolored.
 6. The process for keycaps guiding light laterally according toclaim 1, wherein the light-shielding layer mentioned in the step c) iscoated on the connecting surface of the keycap body via anelectroplating process.